In prison for decades, a serial killer in the U.K. presents an unusual challenge.
In the 1960s, with the help of a partner, Ian Brady murdered five children after sexually torturing the victims. Brady was sentenced to prison, but now has an unusual request that challenges the court system, according to FOX News in “UK’s ‘most evil’ serial killer is fighting for right to die.”
Brady, who is now 79, suffers from several severe health problems, including mental health issues that require constant care. He is locked away and receiving treatment in a secure hospital. However, he would like to be transferred to a prison facility in his native Scotland, since Scottish prisons do not force feed inmates. This would allow Brady to refuse food and pass away.
Thus far, Brady has been unsuccessful in court. His latest attempt at earning the right to die was decided on a technicality concerning his legal representation. However, the idea that notorious inmates have a right to die, like everyone else, could eventually present a challenge for advocates of right to die laws, including physician-assisted suicide advocates.
At some point, it seems likely that a terminally ill person who is serving a life sentence will seek to be allowed to die, just as a non-prisoner has the right to do. The question will then need to be answered whether that should be allowed on humanitarian grounds or would allowing it be considered letting a guilty person get out of a just punishment for his crimes?
